Review: The Night in Question by Kathleen Glasgow & Liz Lawson

Author: Kathleen Glasgow & Liz Lawson
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: May 2023

 Alice Ogilvie and Iris Adams became the talk of Castle Cove when they cracked the biggest case of the fall: the death of Brooke Donovan. Together, the Agathas put Brooke's killer away for good, and since then things around town have been almost back to normal. Quiet, even.

But if Alice and Iris know anything, it's that sometimes quiet is just the calm before the storm. The truth is, Brooke's disappearance wasn't the first mystery to rock Castle Cove, and it won't be the last. So when their school dance at the infamous Levy Castle—the site of film starlet Mona Moody's unsolved death back in the 1940s—is interrupted by a violent assault, Iris and Alice pull out their murder boards and get back to work.

To understand the present, sometimes you need to look into the past. And if the Agathas want a chance at solving their new case, that's exactly where they'll need to start digging. Only, what they uncover might very well kill them.

I really liked the first book, The Agathas so I was looking forward to The Night in Question.   This time around, Alice and Iris try to prove that their classmate is not responsible for stabbing another classmate at the school dance. This one should not be read as a stand alone.  It does spoil the first book for you.

I'll be honest, I was underwhelmed by this one.  It didn't draw me in like the first one did. The story was kind of boring.  I didn't feel the same excitement following  Iris and Alice while they solved the msytery.  Even the older mystery involving the movie star from the 1940s was underwhelming.  There was too much teen/romance angst and I just didn't care.  I'm hoping the next one is better than this one.

Review: The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow & Liz Lawson

Author: Kathleen Glasgow & Liz Lawson
Publisher: Delacourte Press
Publication Date: May 2022

Last summer, Alice Ogilve’s basketball-star boyfriend Steve dumped her. Then she disappeared for five days. Where she went and what happened to her is the biggest mystery in Castle Cove, because she’s not talking. Or it was, at least. But now, another one of Steve’s girlfriends has vanished: Brooke Donovan, Alice’s ex–best friend. And it doesn’t look like Brooke will be coming back. . .

Enter Iris Adams, Alice’s tutor. Iris has her own reasons for wanting to disappear, though unlike Alice, she doesn’t have the money or the means. That could be changed by the hefty reward Brooke’s grandmother is offering to anyone who can share information about her granddaughter’s whereabouts. The police are convinced Steve is the culprit, but Alice isn’t so sure, and with Iris on her side, she just might be able to prove her theory.

In order to get the reward and prove Steve’s innocence, they need to figure out who killed Brooke Donovan. And luckily Alice has exactly what they need—the complete works of Agatha Christie. If there’s anyone that can teach the girls how to solve a mystery it’s the master herself. But the town of Castle Cove holds many secrets, and Alice and Iris have no idea how much danger they're about to walk into. 

The Agathas is a YA mystery featuring Alice and Iris.  Both girls team up to figure out who killed Brooke.  The suspect list is long and the police seem to be on the wrong path.  Forming a tentative friendship may be the key to solving the mystery.  

I thought this was a fairly engaging mystery.  While I did figure out the murderer fairly early on in the book, I enjoyed watching Iris and Alice figure out the clues.  I was also happy I was right in who did it, I just didn't know the how.  What I enjoyed more was the friendship that grew between Iris and Alice.  Alice just wants to be wanted and Iris needs to learn how to open her heart and trust someone else.  There was no romance; which was a nice change.  The other characters who help out with the sleuthing were a nice addition to the book.  It looks like this is the first book in a series. I look forward to reading more stories with these characters. I do recommend this one.

One note, I did appreciate the author's note at the end that addressed a couple of sensitive topics in the book. It was an important addition, especially for young readers.